The Posers

THE POSERS were active from 1977-81 and were part of a group of bands including The Odds, Mental Block and the Akrylik Vyktymz from Hull in the North of England.

Paul Spencer Denman tells the story

The band featured Paul Spencer Denman on Bass/Screaming and VERY out of tune vocals, Paul Cook on Drums, and Allan Beedle on Guitar (RIP). They never released anything but played tons of support slots to bands like Cockney Rejects and The Business and to basically anyone who played the Welly {Wellington] Club or any other venue in Hull.

The support shows were mayhem at the Welly Club, spitting, coins thrown, lots of shouting and me shouting back etc etc. Our guitar player Allan smashed someone over the head with his guitar and knocked them out. It was just like that. Other shows we played, especially with the Akrylykz were a lot more civilised and quieter but usually something went off. I used to abuse the crowd a lot. I was an angry fucker…I always seemed to get worked up about something…

Yeah everyone knew each other and all played shows together, all the bands I mentioned we all played shows together. There weren’t that many bands or places to play. Everyone used the only rehearsal place on Mayfield Street so you’d see all the other bands rehearsing. Roland [Gift] played sax with us a few times.

The Posers – Mayfield Street Studios, Hull 1979

On the the two other larger more famous bands from Hull

Throbbing Gristle 

Yep I knew Gen; he was just Gen then and I bought all my drugs from his best mate Foz. I was about 14 when I first met him in about 1971, way before punk. Satans Slaves a biker gang would come to the COUM (Gens band at the time) shows and disrupt everything. They hated Gen and were always trying to beat him up. No one liked COUM or Gen. They moved to Leeds cos they really weren’t getting anywhere in Hull. They got all the recognition after they left and became Throbbing Gristle who I really liked. They were way better than COUM. I saw Coum loads of times. They were crap and didn’t fit in anywhere and no one liked them 

Dead Fingers Talk

They were really really good, and pulled a crowd. The singer did back flips and cartwheels and in one of their songs, they rhymed ‘Jean Harlow’ with ‘Cocaino’ which I still think is cool!

However, The Posers got nowhere and so changed name and moved south for fame and fortune.

We changed our name to “The First Third” after the Neal Cassidy book, moved to London lived in a squat with no hot water lookin for fame n fortune….got neither, did eventually get hot water. Split up and went our different ways.

Paul Cooke joined a band called Pride which included Stuart Mathewman on sax from Hull band The Odds. They asked Denman to join. He did. One of the backing singers in Pride was called Sade. Eventually Stu, Sade and the 2 Pauls formed another band called Sade. Paul Cooke was eventually replaced and Paul, Stu and Sade as “SADE” went on to have considerable Worldwide success.

Pride 1982 – Diamond Life aka Smooth Operator Live at Ronnie Scotts with Sade on vocals

“If it wasn’t for The Sex Pistols, I wouldn’t be here. Rotten shouting “Get off your arse” on “So It Goes” was the moment I thought “Yes John…. I can do that”. I quit my job at the Airplane factory and fucked off to London”

Paul Spencer Denman Punk77 email 2024

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